Lakeland Christian Falls To Southwood In Sectional Semis
February 8, 2020 at 4:55 a.m.
Lakeland Christian Falls To Southwood In Sectional Semis
By Ryan Villanueva-
The Cougars faced a tall task in facing against a TRC opponent.
Despite an early 4-3 lead in the opening quarter, the Lady Knights of Southwood were too much, as they humbled the Lady Cougars 63-34 Friday night at North Miami Middle/High School.
Southwood were paced by 12 points each from Ella Haupert and Sydney Helfin. Sierra Stout contributed with 10 points and Maggie Ball and Makenna Pace scored six points apiece.
Lakeland Christian ended the 2019-2020 season with a record of 10-14. In her final game, LCA’s lone senior Tori Calizo finished with a team-high 10 points. Her younger sister Jessi finished with eight points, while Jordan Gross ended up with seven points in the loss.
The elder Calizo did not back down from her style of play from start to finish.
“It’s always hard stepping on the floor knowing that it’s your last game,” said Lakeland Christian head girls basketball coach Allison Kauffman. “In that fourth quarter, she kind of knew that it was the end.
“She is our fuel, she is our fire, and stepping onto that court—that’s what gave us that energy in the second half.”
LCA were down 35-11 at halftime, but there was improvement in the second half as they were outscored 28-23.
While teammates and coaches will sorely miss Tori, this season’s squad sees a lot of underclassmen who have gained valuable experience and will take it with them going forward.
“’We have just got to keep learning,’ I tell my girls all the time,” said Kauffman. “It’s not about the destination; it’s the journey that we are on together. It’s a moment that we have got to learn from and continue to grow. We have got to find what we can to learn from, so as we step into this next phase of our journey together, I challenge the girls that we have to keep growing and keep learning. If we can do that, we will stay positive and do our best.”
Southwood improved their overall record to 7-16, and they will face Northfield for the sectional championship tonight, as the Lady Norse defeated North Miami 63-51 in the second semi-final.
SOUTHWOOD 63,
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN 34
LCA 4 7 10 13 -- 34
SW 19 16 15 13 -- 63
Southwood (7-16) – Ella Haupert 12, Sydney Helfin 12, Sierra Stout 10, Maggie Ball 6, Makenna Pace 6, Rylee Barney 4, Erin Lehner 4, Ashley Smith 4, Alaina Winer 2
LCA (10-14) – Tori Calizo 10, Jessi Calizo 8, Jordan Gross 7, Natalie Norris 4, Finley Hobbs 3, Cara McCrum 2
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The Cougars faced a tall task in facing against a TRC opponent.
Despite an early 4-3 lead in the opening quarter, the Lady Knights of Southwood were too much, as they humbled the Lady Cougars 63-34 Friday night at North Miami Middle/High School.
Southwood were paced by 12 points each from Ella Haupert and Sydney Helfin. Sierra Stout contributed with 10 points and Maggie Ball and Makenna Pace scored six points apiece.
Lakeland Christian ended the 2019-2020 season with a record of 10-14. In her final game, LCA’s lone senior Tori Calizo finished with a team-high 10 points. Her younger sister Jessi finished with eight points, while Jordan Gross ended up with seven points in the loss.
The elder Calizo did not back down from her style of play from start to finish.
“It’s always hard stepping on the floor knowing that it’s your last game,” said Lakeland Christian head girls basketball coach Allison Kauffman. “In that fourth quarter, she kind of knew that it was the end.
“She is our fuel, she is our fire, and stepping onto that court—that’s what gave us that energy in the second half.”
LCA were down 35-11 at halftime, but there was improvement in the second half as they were outscored 28-23.
While teammates and coaches will sorely miss Tori, this season’s squad sees a lot of underclassmen who have gained valuable experience and will take it with them going forward.
“’We have just got to keep learning,’ I tell my girls all the time,” said Kauffman. “It’s not about the destination; it’s the journey that we are on together. It’s a moment that we have got to learn from and continue to grow. We have got to find what we can to learn from, so as we step into this next phase of our journey together, I challenge the girls that we have to keep growing and keep learning. If we can do that, we will stay positive and do our best.”
Southwood improved their overall record to 7-16, and they will face Northfield for the sectional championship tonight, as the Lady Norse defeated North Miami 63-51 in the second semi-final.
SOUTHWOOD 63,
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN 34
LCA 4 7 10 13 -- 34
SW 19 16 15 13 -- 63
Southwood (7-16) – Ella Haupert 12, Sydney Helfin 12, Sierra Stout 10, Maggie Ball 6, Makenna Pace 6, Rylee Barney 4, Erin Lehner 4, Ashley Smith 4, Alaina Winer 2
LCA (10-14) – Tori Calizo 10, Jessi Calizo 8, Jordan Gross 7, Natalie Norris 4, Finley Hobbs 3, Cara McCrum 2
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